The Christmas Eve Fan Briefing is now over, so here is Famitsu, GPara, and Game Watch’s recap of the event. They note that some of the content featured in the screenshots may not appear in Alpha Test 2.

PSO2 Alpha Test 2 has two specific purposes, firstly to inspect the refinements and new elements of the second alpha test, and lastly to assess server load stability. This will be done by adding 50,000 more recruits to this alpha test.

New features in character creation include an “Expression Test” that lets you test out facial expressions. You can now change your eyebrow color to match your hair, the min/max range for your height has increased, casts body parts can now morph, and casts can have humanoid faces.

There’s a new enemy called Kyatadoran. A dragon-type enemy with a long body, it can freely expand and contract its body giving you a long range attack. Famitsu thinks this is a boss grade enemy. (His boss status was mentioned in the Fan Briefing though.)

There were new improvements made to the battle portion of the game. Rangers and Forces could now Just Attack using their weapons. You can stop some of enemy’s attack ( for example: a powerful quick rush attack), by using Just Attacks. This was demonstrated with a Ranger who used Just Attacks to stop an enemy from charging at him. Your movement speed when you are charging techs is now faster than before, you can now charge technics through the sub-palette too.

Item Lab, you can customize your items by grinding, increasing attributes, and adding special abilities.

With grinders you can strengthen the power and defense of your items. When you strengthen your weapon you get a +1 grind value by the item’s name. You can increase this value to +10, however, if you fail a grind, the grind’s value go down. Fortunately your item will not be destroyed.

You can increase attribute values like (20% Fire) by composing the same weapons. The amount you can increase is influenced by the other weapon’s attribute and attribute values. You will need an item called “Synthesizer” to perform this action.

When you acquire a weapon or unit, it will sometimes have an ability attached. You can transfer this ability to other weapons and units with the “Add a Special Ability” feature. But be careful, rare special abilities have lower successful transfer rates.

My Room is a feature taken from Phantasy Star Universe where can have up to 12 players in your room. You can set room furniture on the ground to whatever location you choose. You can change the designs of the whole room with a remodeling ticket. An item can be used to expand your rooms and place up to 3 separate rooms individually. (The demonstration showed you can set separate remodeling ticket for each of your rooms.)

Mags are machine life forms, when you give them items they grow into various forms. Famitsu wants to talk more about mags in a follow up report to see whether or not they have photon blasts (To me it sounds like Famitsu is holding out on information.). Famitsu states Mags are not implemented in Alpha Test 2.

The futuristic city! Darker type enemies appear here! Is this a city on some planet? If you look at the sky you can see some ridges along the circumference. Famitsu thinks this city could actually be a colony or an Arks ship. Anyway, there’s a boss enemy here that looks like a spider. If you jump on its back when it is down, you can attack its weak point. Famitsu states this new city area is not in the Alpha Test 2.

Interface Zoom and Character Stats
So a new feature in the Alpha Test 2 is that you can adjust your game resolution’s interface zoom. When your game resolution is high, you can set the interface zoom to (1.0x, 1.25x, and 1.5x) through the launcher.

Alpha Test 2 Improvement List
Applying for the second alpha test will end in 4 days, so if you haven’t already done so please apply as soon as possible. As for the day the 2nd Alpha Test starts, unfortunately it will not be announced today and you’ll have to wait for those details in the future.
An extremely long list of things to expect in Alpha test 2 was posted, which took a long time to go through. The changes described in previous posts are mentioned in this list. So let’s begin!

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Race:
- Human / Newman / Cast, you can create a man or woman of your choice among the three races.

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Character Creation:
- After you create your character, you will not be able to change your outfit or accessories in Alpha Test 2.
- Only a portion of the cast parts will be implemented in Alpha Test 2.
- Some new costumes, parts, hairstyles and accessories will be added to Alpha test 2.
- You can now morph the body and face of Casts like the other races.
- You can make your eyebrow color the same as your hair color.
- Min/Max range of your height has increased.
- You can choose whether your cast runs or hovers.
- You can choose 2 skin patters at the same time.
- Character Creation Redo and Undo Functions were added.
- Facial Expression Test added
- Costume and Parts Defense stats are gone. Defense stats are now based on your Base Stats and Units equipped.
- Unit graphic settings can be turned on/off through the item pack menu

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Class:
- There are three classes, Hunter, Ranger, and Force. In Alpha Test 2, you can not change your class.
- There are no player specific levels in this game, instead your class level will determine your character’s level. Each class individually can go up to Level 20.
- In this test, if any of your characters go passed level 10, you will automatically join into the next test (the next scheduled test is the Closed Beta Test)

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Skill Tree:
- Some skills are implemented in Alpha Test 2
- The organization and design of the skill tree has been completely redesigned so that it is easier to read and use.
- A new function lets you increase a skill’s level all at once
- Some new skills have been added like Just Counter and Just Reversal

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Combat:
- A limited amount of weapon categories photon arts, and technics are available in this test.
- You can Just Attack using Ranged attacks and Technics
- You can hold down the attack button to automatically attack but you will not be able to just attack like this.
- Hunter’s Step and Ranger’s Dive Roll Invincibility frames have been lowered.
- It is now quicker to change from your normal movement animation to running (dashing).
- When you push lightly on the gamepad and your weapon is on your back, you will do the walking animation.
- “Guard” will cancel an attack action quicker than “Step”
- When you are charging a Technic, your movement speed doesn’t decrease, but you won’t be able to run.
- You can charge Technics at the sub-palette.
- For some attack-type technics, when you charge them, their power and behavior will change.
- You can now change which kind of attack your rod will normally do (ex. Change it from doing physical to technic attacks)
- The range of effect charged Resta has is now increased.
- Sword Photon Art “NovaStrike” can now be charged
- When your HP is completely full, you won’t be able to use recovery items.
- When using recovery items, the time period you can’t move, as well as the animation has now changed (details below)
- With wired lances and swords, your gear will no longer reset when you arrive at another area, or switch weapons.
- To differentiate the normal shooting style from TPS style, your normal shooting style will have less firing accuracy. (This is not speaking about a stat, it just determine how far off the bullets land from the actual target.)
- After you’ve placed a trap, you can detonate it at any time.
- The function to lock on to other players was removed therefore the follow run function has changed.
- There’s an option within the game to turn off the blur

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Enemies:
- A portion of the enemies are in alpha test 2. These are limited to Darkers, Native, and Dragon types.
- A new boss called Kyatadoran was added to the volcano field
- Except for the large enemies, just attacks can overcome an enemy’s attack. (See Fan Briefing)
- Enemies of the same type will have differences (in stats) based on their size and abilities.
- Enemies of different types can attack each other.
- When boss enemies appear in a multiparty area, their name may have a prefix attached to their name. These bosses in particular have stronger powers and abilities, even changing the abilities of enemies nearby.

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Mag:
- Mags will not be implemented in Alpha Test 2, they are scheduled to be available once the official game launches.

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Quest:
- Volcano Cavern and Forest fields are implemented in Alpha Test 2
- You can make a new party when you choose a quest from the quest counter
- When starting a quest, you can now input a party name, comments and various party settings.
- There’s more information displayed when selecting a party from the list of parties.
- You can set to display whether you want to see HP bars over the heads of your party members (or other multi party players)
- Camp Ship has a quest counter and shop function
- You also do not need to get a quest at the quest counter, you can go down to the field and start a “Free Field” quest.
- In Free Fields and some Arks quest, at the last area, all parties will get their own individual boss area. However a boss may also appear at any time before this.*
- When going from the Campship to the field, you can now go directly to the area the party members already went through.
- There will be some visual indication of the telepool within the camp ship when someone places a telepipe down on the field.
- The graphics of dropped item icons are now redesigned to improve the visibility and identity of the specified item.

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Interrupt Event:
- Only a limited variety of Interrupt Events are in Alpha Test 2
- Those sudden trials that were a part of what’s called Interrupt Events are now known as “Emergency Trials”
- Emergency Trials can appear in Free Field quests.
- When you complete an Emergency Trial, your reward item is sent to the main storage box if your item pack is full. If your main storage box is full, then your item is sent to what’s called the “first storage.” This storage box can only hold 30 items, it will automatically delete old items to make way for new items if you reach this limit.

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PSE:
- Only limited variations of Photon Sensitive Effect is in Alpha Test 2
- Changed the balance of the frequency and how long a PSE occurs

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Interface:
- Various operation methods and interface problems were revised in Alpha Test 2
- When you first logon, you can set whether you want to use gamepad or kb/mouse
- You can change various settings with whichever control method you are using.
- The main menu is now iconized
- A quick menu to perform lobby actions was added for the gamepad.
- It is easier to look at the item details, and a specific button can be used to jump to a certain page.
- Improved the Icon Designs
- Made it easier to know when an item is locked in your item pack
- Improved the readability on the number of consumption items you have.
- An equipment menu added to main menu
- Enchants are now called “Special Abilities”
- You can move multiple items at the same time to the storage box
- At a shop you can buy and sell from storage
- Store meseta in the storage box
- Easier to see HP and PP of the characters
- Quest Goals or Emergency Trial Targets are now indicated by text on the screen.
- The map size will not change (close to far) when you arrive at another area in the field. (bug fix)
- Map size has increased since last test
- If a party member was far away, their relative position is still indicated on the map.
- An online status indicator stating “Looking For Party” and “Away From Keyboard” has been added.
- Loading Screen has changed
- Screenshot Function added.

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Communication:
- A limited amount of manga iconography (ex. sweat drop) and autowords are available.
- Lobby Actions are the same as PSU, and these are only temporary.
- When the official game launches a new chat functionality will be added.
- Gamepad users can chat using any key on the keyboard instead of pressing C. This feature is available in “Direct Chat” mode.
- A feature was added that lets you go to the block your friend is on directly.
- Lobby Actions Alt +[A ~ Z]
- Press SHIFT+ENTER for cut-in chat preview and CTRL+ENTER for manga iconography and speech bubble variations.
- Chat log and Chat Channel are now separate
- Search for players at the Visiphone

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My Room:
- A limited set of features are available for My Room in Alpha Test 2
- Unlike PSU, it is not 1 character per room, but rather 1 ship (server) per room.
- Only a limited amount of remodeling tickets and room items are available, you can purchase this at the room shop in the Arks Lobby.
- Various functions to interact with room items will be available once the official game launches but only “Sit” is available for room items in Alpha Test 2.
- The my room interface for this test is temporary and will be improved upon later.

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Item Lab:
- Item Lab has 3 functions, “Item Grinding” “Attribute Grinding” and “Special Abilities”
- The cost, the success rates, the results of your customizations are all temporary and will be rebalanced later.

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Story:
- A minimal amount of story will be discussed in Alpha Test 2. A full-scale story will be implemented when the official game starts.

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Specs:
- Alpha Test 2 low end spec adjustments are not implemented. The Alpha Test 2 spec requirements are higher than the official minimum requirements.

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Save Data:
- Alpha Test 2 Data is not carried over to the next test.

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Recovery Animation:
- Alpha test 2 has now changed the way the Recovery Animation was implemented. People found this animation unpleasant since your character would inject a recovery item into their body.http://bumped.org/psublog/wp-content...-animation.jpg
Now this animation has changed where you character drinks a recovery item instead.

The 2nd alpha test was a few weeks ago, I got to participate in it, and it was fun.

A little more than 50000 players participated in the alpha test, and the highest number of simultaneous connections during the test was around 23000.
In a few weeks there's going to be an Alpha 2 report from the developers, showing details from the test, like the more played quests, more played races/classes and such, and also showing what the players requested the most to be implemented in the game.

The producer of the game talked with a bunch of japanese magazines, here's a roundup of the important things that were said:

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- When the game officially launches there will be 3 races, but considering it’s an online game, sooner or later more races could possibly show up.
- Even if you max out your class level, you won’t be able to obtain all the class skills.
- When you switch classes, you will keep your existing level, but when you change to a new class you start over.
- The closed beta is planned to start before it gets hot. (sometime near summer…)
- In the Open Beta, it looks like he wants to transfer your character data over to the official game.
- Sakai plans to talk about Phantasy Star Online 2′s billing procedures between the Closed and Open beta test. He did not discuss any details about what they might be, and how it would work.

It was also mentioned that there's going to be a new trailer related to the world and story of the game, the script of the story is around 3 volumes long and that the story development will be somewhat like the original Phantasy Star Online, where major developments come into view through a fragmented story.

Forest area ending in the Rockbear boss - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hm84WPczuT0
I recorded this video during the first few days of the alpha, the latency was high during these days, not only because the servers are located in Japan and I'm playing in Europe, but also because there were some issues with the servers themselves and the way they were handling quests. SEGA implemented a temporary fix for the next days, but they will have a permanent fix for the future beta test.

And a new feature that appeared on Phantasy Star Portable 2, boosted enemies:

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Today Sakai has completed postrecording work! But let’s talk about Boost Enemies, something coming in the next test.

A concept taken from Phantasy Star Zero and Phantasy Star Portable 2, Boost Enemies are stronger versions of regular enemies. So far, boost enemies looked identical to the regular version but had an aura effect, but this will change a bit in PSO2.

Now that the Darkers exist, they will greatly affect the enemy’s appearance.

Wow they have a red tinged body and look slightly grotesque. Boost enemies will be stronger and difficult to defeat compared to regular enemies. However, they have a weak point. There’s a core sprouting out of the body which you can see in the screenshots. Aim for this area. Killing these boost enemies also provides you with better drops.

Although it may look so low res currently, keep in mind that the PSVita version is less than 10% complete. The 3d models, shadows, and shaders are at the lowest setting. These will be improved upon once the game is optimized so it can look close in comparison to the PC version.

The PSVita version shares the same server, the same data, and the same characters. Therefore the game saves are stored online and it shall be an online only game.

You may see these costumes in the next test, but they won’t be shown in the character creator. So how will you get to see them? You’ll have to wait for more information to find out! Next week some news will be coming out! See you next time.

After the news of PSO2 on Vita, Sakai received some feedback from the Phantasy Star veterans over his decision to make both versions cross playable. Generally the concerns stem from the handling of Phantasy Star Universe on PS2, how the PS2 version handicapped the updates for the PC version.

When making PSO2 for the Vita, he understood that you all would be wary of such a product, but under careful consideration and examination, they decided PlayStation Vita could indeed handle such a game.

Can PSO2 Vita even handle large-scale updates?

The PlayStation 2 version of PSU couldn’t support any large-scale updates at all, they couldn’t add any stages nor enemies. But in terms of what they support, PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 2 are two totally different platforms.

For one, there were PlayStation 2′s without a hard drive so of course you could not add more stages, or enemies, or even huge system updates. However the Playstation Vita can certainly handle it all.

Wouldn’t it be easier to cheat on such a device?

Well in the past, Phantasy Star Online and Phantasy Star Portable 2 stored data offline making it easier to cheat. Even so, they still were able to support the games by banning accounts of cheaters. PSO2 is online only, so data is stored online to keep it secure.

3G Players

Phantasy Star Online 2 can be played on 3G or Wifi! But the amount of data that’s supported on both is considerably different. On Wifi, data speeds were close enough in comparison to PC players. However, for 3G, it will be difficult for the data speeds to catch up, so they have plans to do something separate when you are on that network. (Sakai did not go into detail as to how different the data communication would be on 3G.)

About Cross-Platform playing on Vita and PC

It is possible for the Vita version to play at the same time with the PC version. However, Vita players would have to undergo their own beta testing to see if things go smoothly. It is not what they are aiming for, but depending on the results they may have to say, “PC and Vita players can not play together at the same time.”

They received lots of requests on how people wanted to play PSO2 on something other than PC. So they decided to give the PlayStation Vita a shot as a new alternative way to play this game.

March still has some more announcements to go through. By the end of the month, Sakai plans to make announcements about the next test!

Through various interviews we’ve long known that new weapon classes we’re going to be added into the game. For those who have read up on datamining of Alpha test clients would already know what weapon classes are hidden deep inside the data. But today we have our first confirmations to these weapon types. This was posted within Famitsu’s PSO2 Beta Test article, which Shougai summarized.

New Weapon Class: Partizan
- Hunter Exclusive
- Quick Attack
- Wide area attack
- It has a special action called “舞い dance?” (We’re not quite sure in what way the move actually looks like.) this speeds up your gear which eventually makes it likely that you’ll release some kind of forward shockwave.

New Weapon Class: Talis
- Force Exclusive
- Throw cards to directly hit the enemy
- Throw cards and a technic is fired off from the card.
*You could throw a card at a party member and make it cast resta
*You could throw a card in the sky and cast a wider range Razonde technic.
(Don’t know if you are supposed to jump to throw cards in the sky.)

Mags
- Mags have photon blasts
- When a mag does a photon blast it changes into a “幻獣” mythical beast.
- For example, it can change into something resembling a unicorn.
- The player can act freely during a photon blast too.

Lobby
- The Arks lobby has been renovated.
- In the center there’s a elevator that transports you between 2 floors.
- The upper level is called the Gate Area where you can receive quests.
- The lower level is the shop area and rest area.
- Shougai says the lobby is reminiscent of PSO ep2 Lab area.

The PSO2 team has replied to a bunch of requests that were made during the alpha 2 test, here's the list of requests and replies:

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Today a long list of responses to users feedback was submitted on the site. Sakai has planned to move ahead to the closed beta test, which will add a bunch of new content.

Story, quests, and weapon categories will be added. You can also play the new city area. More information will be revealed by the end of the month in a special presentation. This test plans to have 100,000 players. If you’ve already raised your character to level 10 in the second alpha, you are automatically given priority in this test. There is no need for you to apply again.

Sakai is planning a 2nd Media Briefing which will announce details about the Closed Beta Test. This will allow for details and the schedule of this test to be clearly explained to you guys through media outlets. It will be something similar to the last media briefing event.

The lag is pretty bad, can you guys do something to improve it?
- During updates in Alpha Test 2, we improved the lag to some extent but it’s completely difficult to have no lag whatsoever. We will continue to make adjustments so you can play comfortably.

I wasn’t really able to meet other parties in multiparty areas, can you do something so it’s easier to meet the other parties?
- Since it was hard to understand the way you set up a multiparty quest, people generally didn’t cross paths with other parties. We’ll review this area and make it easier for you to meet them

I felt the attack power and HP of low level enemies were too high.
- We’ll adjust it so that beginners can play without much stress.

I felt soloing was too difficult.
- We’ll adjust it so that even if a few people are playing it won’t be extremely difficult. Like previous games, we’ll let you add NPC characters to your party.

I think there’s a problem with PSE Bursts, when it happens you can stay in one area endlessly and gain levels very quickly.
- We’ll adjust the rate and duration a PSE Burst occurs so that it does not ruin the balance of the game.

In an emergency trial, the enemies kept re popping up endlessly, can you adjust it so that there can be a limit of how many enemies show up.
- In this particular case, it was a bug. we’ll correct it.

I felt some quests were too long. Could you make smaller maps?
- We’ll look into adjusting all quests, by looking at the average of their clear times and the length of maps they utilizes and make them smaller.

Like in the previous games, I think bosses should drop containers after they are defeated.
- Containers will appear and after breaking it you’ll get the boss drops.

I want it to hold more significance when you destroy a certain part of the body on an enemy.
- Only for boss enemies, if you destroy a part of the body, you’ll get additional drops.

My personal feedback: When you return to the camp ship area, the quest clear music should stop and change to the normal BGM.
- We’ll do it after the quest results are shown.

Grinders and Synthesizers come up in a red box, but because of this you are less excited to see rare drops.
- Grinders and Synthesizers and consumption items less than 6 stars will now be shown as regular drops.

I want you to do something since I can’t play with specific gamepads.
- During an update in Alpha Test 2, we supported a variety of gamepads. We’ll expand the gamepad setting functions and support more types of gamepads.

I think you should allow us to immediately change from Direct chat to normal chat somewhere else other than the options menu.
- We’ll allow it through the scroll lock key.

I want to be able to switch the map display while in Direct Chat Mode.
- We’ll let you be able to switch maps while in this mode by pressing CTRL+M for area map or CTRL+N for radar map.

The sub-palette should be accessed through the F keys, not the number keys when in direct chat mode.
- We’ll allow you to choose what keys you want in the options.

You can rotate the camera very quickly and it makes you feel dizzy, you should adjust this.
- We’ll allow you to adjust the rotation speed in options for both right/left and up/down

I felt the camera that faces the front of the character rotation speeds were too slow.
- We’ll make it faster.

You should allow us to use the mouse wheel to zoom in and out. Even gamepads should have this option.
- We’ll add a setting in options so you can control this with the mouse wheel. Additionally you can set it from the quick menu when you are using the gamepad.

Sometimes I push the autorun button by accident, I’d like there to be a setting where you can change it or not have it set at all.
- In the initial settings, the gamepad won’t have a autorun button but you’ll be able to set this button in the options menu.

Even for gamepads, I’d like there be a way to change what you are auto-locked on to.
- In the options menu, we’ll allow you to change the settings to whatever button you’d like to use.

The game doesn’t really play in full screen mode. I’d like you guys to add a REAL full screen mode.
- Due to some circumstances we had to do a fake full screen mode in the alpha test 2. but now we’ll change it so you can actually play in full screen.
Can you make it so that that the number of detailed character models is higher than 50.
- Yes, we’ll increase it.

Can you make us save screenshots something else other than BMP.
- By default you’ll save them as JPEG but we’ll offer support for PNG too.

I want it so that you can clearly know what item categories are supported for the Photon Arts and their disks.
- On the first line of the item’s descriptions, we’ll show what categories are supported.

I want the icons of learned PA disks in the Item Pack and Storage greyed out.
- We’ll do so.

In the same way as weapons, I want equipped units to be able to utilize item customization features in the Item Lab.
- We’ll do so.

In the quickmenu’s shortcut word list, I want you to show the first part of the message.
- When the list is shown, we’ll make it so that the first line of the shortcut is shown.

You should make it easier to know what mode you are in when using weapons like the gunslash.
- The center icon in your palette will clearly show which mode your weapon is using.

The icon when you receive mail is small and inconspicuous.
- We’ll make it so that you can see it better.

When showing the mail you received, I want a different tab to show system mail messages like when you register new friends.
- We’ll make a new tab that shows all of your system mails.

While taking screenshots, I’d like to know if the screenshot was taken.
- We’ll show a message informing you that a screenshot was taken.

I want there to be a ON/OFF function on whether or not you’ll use Auto Words.
- We’ll do so.

I want there to be chats where you can talk to any player 1 to 1.
- We will implement a Whisper chat that allows you to do this.

For people I have been in parties with, I want there to be something where you can add them to your friend or black list.
- We’ll make a player history function that allows you to see who you’ve played with in the past and you can decide whether to add them to your friend list or black list.

I want a feature where you can know whether your friends are logged in.
- As an optional setting, when your friends log in, you’ll see that information displayed on your screen.

I want a room lock function added to My Room.
- We’ll add room lock functions where you could also set it to allow only friends to visit.

I want a function in My Room, that shows you what weapons I’ve acquired.
- We’ll implement a room item that shows the weapons you have.

I want you to add a jukebox to my room so I can change the BGM that plays in there.
- There will be a room item where you can change the BGM for your room.

I want to be able to perform actions when you access room items in your room.
- Though it was temporary in Alpha test 2, only sit was available, but we plan to add a variety of actions.

I want to be able to put accessories on top of room items.
- Again, we’ll allow you to place accessories on room items like desks and shelves.

Like the My Shop, I want to be able to directly trade items between players.
- We’ll allow you to trade directly with players with the item trade functions.

I want there to be a search criteria where you can search for specific abilities attached to items in the My Shop.
- We’ll do so.

I want to make sure I don’t sell very rare items in shops and such.
- We’ll make it so that if you equipped it once you won’t be able to sell a rare item in shops or trades.

In Character Creation, I want to be able to save the character I made as a character base model to work off of.
- We’ll add a function where you can save character creation data to the PC.

In Character Creation, I want to be able to make male faces more square jawed, and female faces more round.
- We’ll add more variations to facial shape structures.

After I create characters, I want to be able to customize them.
- Like previous games, we will implement a makeup counter to customize your character again.

Sakai updated his blog today. There’s more changes in store for Phantasy Star Online 2. In the Alpha Test, the title and character creation sequences were only temporary. Now we push ahead to the new changes in store for these areas.

First you’ll see a prologue movie, then switch to the screen to create your character. The background gives it more of a SciFi game feel. Afterwards the tutorial and story begins.

The closed beta test news starts by the end of the month. There’s going to be a 2nd Media Briefing which will show what new things are in store for the Beta Test. This test plans to have 100,000 players!

After you accumulate a certain amount of damage, your mag will transform into a mythical creature (like this Unicorn type Photon Blast.). Now the AI takes over and the creature will attack on it’s own, players can also fight alongside with it.

Talis is a card throwing weapon for forces. You can throw them to attack enemies and cast technics from them. Throw them to enemies in the air and your technic could have wider range. Or you could throw it and cast resta to provide support from long distances.

Really hoping we see a western release for this game. I'm more or less done with online RPGs nowadays, but I will make an exception for PSO2. Too much nostalgia! Got a few other friends in the same boat, so if it does come out here, there will be many good times had by all.

i really wish that Valve would partner with SEGA for the (eventual) North American release.

currently, the beta has GameGuard... :/ also, servers are located in Japan... this is most likely gonna stay true for the actual release.

i would like if the NA version of PSO2 was a Steamworks game, with no GameGuard (VAC the game, instead) and servers located in the USA. i really do not want to play a GameGuarded game (which will be hacked to pieces, anyway) and on servers located in Japan (LAG and i dont wanna be mixed with people who dont speak English).

i really want SEGA to do something more with the game when it hits NA. not just mix us with the JP players and infect our PCs with root kits. SEGA needs to up the ante on support when it comes to international releases.

besides all this, and since the game has no offline features, it seems too much like Universe still AND SEGA cant seem to keep their servers up for more than 4 years nor add any content, i am just too hesitant to play the game.

Phantasy Star Online 2′s second Media Briefing will take place on Monday March 26th, 2012 @ 13:30 JST.

Media Briefing 2nd
- When: March 26th 2012 @ 13:30
- What: To discuss Phantasy Star Online 2′s closed beta test, including billing information when the official game starts, future development schedule, and new game information.
- Where: Watch it live on NicoNico!http://live.nicovideo.jp/watch/lv86290530

Please pay attention to the times and dates to watch this live in your timezone. Eastern refers to Sunday night, not Monday night even though it technically happens on Monday.

Closed Beta Elements
- Now the lobby from the Alpha Test has expanded into two areas. There’s a Gate area and Shop area, with some new facilities like the Medical Center.
- New weapon category, Partisans have a “twirl” move which can fill up the “gear gauge.” Partisans are quicker than the sword and can hit surrounding enemies.
- Launchers, it is heavier than the assault rifle, so you can’t move and shoot at the same time. Its projectiles can give explosive damage.
- Talis (Cards), like a shooting weapon, you can just throw it to give damage. Or, you can throw it and cast technics off of it.
- Mags, an artificial life form that grows up when you feed it items. It can attack enemies directly if it becomes a “Striking” type Mag. If it is a “Range” type mag, it can shoot from a distance from the player’s position. It can offer support to the player too. Actions can be added by specific conditions with an item called “Device.”
- Photon Blasts, by filling the blast gauge, mags can transform into a mythical beast and fight alongside with the player.

Another new element is the Story, so let’s look at our first glimpse of a story character.

When she appears, she says some strange mysterious things to the player. You can see her talking within these screenshots but her speech is slightly odd. She entrusts the player with something called a “Matter Board”, this thing seems to be important in advancing the story.

Phantasy Star Online 2 is releasing with a few new surprises. You can download the game client for Free on PlayStation Vita, PC, and Smartphones. You can also play the standard game for Free with no restrictions on class level. There will however be cash items, but he isn’t going to allow direct sales of highly over powerful weapons.

The closed beta starts around the end of April with 100,000 players. Tester recruitment will begin today at 16:00 JST.

Phantasy Star Online 2 will also release on Smartphones for iOS and Android. The smartphone version shares character data with the PC and Vita version. It will be a more simplistic single player game, with some social gaming elements attached.

The Vita version is primarily for portable players, that shares the same data with the PC version, and can also play together with them at the same time. Unlike Playstation 2, Playstation Vita can support large scale system updates and system modifications. In addition, there are measures to prevent against cheating because the character data is stored online.

The Smartphone version also shares the same server data on other versions of PSO2, you can play the game independently from PC/Vita. The Smartphone version plans to release on both iOS and Android systems. This version allows for a single player experience with the same weapons and enemies like in the PC/Vita version.

Now with PSO2 supporting 3 platforms, you can freely play at any time, any place, or anywhere you feel like. The game will support regular updates after the official PC version is released. Afterwards, the smartphone, and Vita version will be released to the public. Each will undergo testing and allow for user feedback.

The game software for the PC, Vita, and Smartphone versions will be released as a FREE download. In either platform, the standard charges for playing will be absolutely free. Some of the game’s items will become Cash Items under an in-game currency known as “Arks Cash.”

When you play for free there are no restrictions imposed on your class level. In addition they will not sell over powerful weapons as cash items for large sums of cash either. The basic roots of the game won’t be restricted either so that people with little time to play can still experience the game thoroughly.

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Closed Beta Features

The closed beta test will add new weapon categories, a city area, and the implementation of Arks Cash. The new lobby has some new facilities like the Medical Center, the Tekker Shop, the Costume Shop, Title Counter, and the Makeup Counter. My Room will add an assortment of new room items.

You can go on adventures with your friend’s character anytime with the new “Friend Partner System.” You can create your own team that comes with its own team chat feature and team flags. New weapon categories, photon arts, technics and skills. New interrupt events too.

During the Closed Beta Test, if your character reaches level 10, they will receive a free weapon hologram room item. This item will display weapons you have. This item will be delivered to you at the Open Beta Test. The highest level you can go in the closed beta test is level 30.

On April 5th, Phantasy Star Online 2 will have a Character Creation Demo. You can download this demo which will be available prior to the closed beta. This demo will work even if you are not connected to the internet. The character you created in this version can also be used in the Closed Beta.

You can also use this to benchmark how your PC will play PSO2. Characters that you’ve created in this trial can also be used in a special Phantasy Star Online 2 Character Creation Contest! We will discuss details about this contest later.

At the end of April, 2012, you will be allowed to play the Closed Beta test for Phantasy Star Online 2. Since the previous version, several improvements have been added based on user feedback. In addition, some new elements have been added to the game. Applications for the Closed Beta will begin today, Monday, March 26th, 2012 at 16:00 JST!

If you participate in the Closed Beta test, if any of your characters reach level 10 in any class level, you will receive special gifts when the Open Beta starts. This gift is a room item called “Weapon Hologram“. In the open beta test, your character data is saved and ported to the official game.

Phantasy Star Online 2 will be released on 3 platforms, Windows PC, Vita, and Smartphones. Each version will be a free download, and the standard game will be free to play. Some items will be cash items.

As with previous tests, the closed beta will compromise of discovering bugs, adjusting game balance, and to completely increase the satisfaction of the game towards its users.

The closed Beta test will mainly focus on these two areas:
- To test the basic game system. This includes testing new elements such as the Matter Board, Client Orders, and Emergency Quests. To discover bugs, and receive feedback.
- The implementation of the system to purchase Cash Items, and to purchase them with the in game currency known as Arks Cash. The price of the Arks Cash items are not finalized in this version. All players will receive 10000AC to use freely on whatever they desire.

The details about the OPEN beta test will be revealed after the Closed Beta Test.
- The closed beta test data will be deleted and will not be used in the official game.
- You can not use the data from the second alpha test in this version either.

Recruitment
- Japanese Residents
- Minimum Requirements Met
- Those who played Alpha Test 2, and got their class level up to 10. Except those who violated the agreements laid out in Alpha Test 1 or Alpha Test 2.
- Those who didn’t register for either tests can register for the Closed Beta
- You must register for both a SEGA ID, and PSO2 service that’s included in the signup process.

Beta Test Starting Date
- End of April. (Dates revealed later.)

Winner Announcements
- Winners will be announced before the closed beta starts through emails.

Special Gift
- Those who take part in the closed beta will receive a special room item called the “Weapon Hologram” at the Open Beta Test.

Those who win will be notified by email. Emails will be sent out over the course of a few days to avoid download congestion. You can not download the client until you receive the emails.